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This is a picture of our 3 kids standing at the exact place where the Wright Brothers first took flight. It takes guts to leap, based on a vision for something greater. The results when you do are just like the view from this point...#Breathtaking. Are you ready to leap?

You have a HUGE job, and a tremendous OPPORTUNITY.

#InTheClassroom#OnTheField#InTheCommunity

In the lives of your student-athletes.

My name is Brett W. Gould.I am a motivational speaker and life coach.I failed out of college as a young student-athlete, and now spend my professional life speaking into the lives of the next generation so they don't repeat the same mistakes.Why am I contacting you?

Because you have student-athletes who are struggling. They are skipping classes, failing tests, coming late to practice, and becoming the reason you are dealing with 2am phone calls, emails, and texts from University leadership asking why a particular student is in trouble.

You have student-athletes who aren't living up to expectations. When they were recruited it seemed like the perfect "fit". Now you are dealing with disengaged athletes, disgruntled parents, and frustrated coaching staffs.

You have student-athletes that are on the verge of leaving. They are homesick. They don't like their classes. They aren't connecting with their professors. Their grades are slipping. Some are on the verge of ineligibility. Some already are. Others are frustrated with their lack of playing time. They went from hero in HS, to what feels like forgotten in College.

Their transition to college IS NOT going well.

I've been there as a student-athlete, and I know how to help others that are.Here's my student-athlete story.

I failed out of college at 18.I was in the top 20% of my HS class.Athlete. Musician. Generally, hilarious and engaging in every circle I travelled in.And then college hit, and hit hard.I started skipping classes.I drifted to anything that didn't hold me accountable.I was living a nightmare, and no one really knew it.I was scared.I didn't like my classes.I didn't know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.At the end of semester #1 I had a 1.85 GPA.No one really addressed it.Just a couple of months into semester #2, and it was over.4 F's and an incomplete.And a letter saying I had failed out.I had just received a 0.0, and felt hopeless.Done.Luckily…I had a mentor that put his arms around my world and wouldn't let me quit.I walked onto another campus, and they took me in…on the word of my mentor.I had to fight.I had limitations and expectations, for academic success, to stay there.I couldn't play soccer, because I was ineligible.I watched from the stands, knowing I was as good as any of the guys.I pulled my grades up.I walked-on the following fall…AND MADE THE TEAM.I worked HARD.The following year…I EARNED AN ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP.I posted a 4.0 during an in-season semester.I began coaching soccer in a city school my senior year in college.And I graduated CUM LAUDE.

That's a snap-shot of WHO I was as a college student. That was over 20 years ago. Since then I have had the honor of working with tons of high school and college students. I've coached everywhere from the U6 level to College and in between. I've built curriculum that helps athletics programs, coaches, and student-athletes discover WHO they are so they will know WHAT to do. It works. I've spoken in High School classrooms, an auditorium, and all over different settings on College campuses.What am I asking of you?

To have a conversation with me, about being a resource for you.

How would we work together?

I would be a Mental Coaching resource for your administration, coaches and student-athletes. Not as a one hit talk, but as a long-term relationship. I have a specific process I follow, that is a huge win for administrators, coaches, and student-athletes. (You'll see a testimonial in a minute)

Can we be brutally honest?You don’t have to.Most of you, in fact, won’t.And that's ok. I want to work with a handful of people that get it, and I am hoping that might be you.

The great leaders take chances others see as distractions.There are two approaches for Athletics Programs.Play catch up. (Because other programs saw the value in this, first)Play "catch us if you can". (Because you took the lead by doing this, first)If you aren’t sure which side of that fence you are on, look around.

Are the people you lead looking tired or inspired?Are their mental gas tanks on E, or are they coming in ramped up and ready?At this point you have the perfect excuse to delete this email.“Finances”. Except, it isn’t true.​There are always resources that can be found, for progress that needs to be made.

And…you are already spending the money.

Here's proof…does this sound familiar?• Student-Athlete retention is an issue. (That means lost $ to your College)• You, and other administrators, coaches, professors, etc…are having to meet with student-athletes who are having academic, athletic, or behavioral issues. (time = money)• You are having to meet with coaches to go over unmet expectations about the academic and behavioral requirements of their team not being met.

When you start to look at lost tuition, and multiply out the hours x the salary of those who've had to meet over these issues…you can see that it adds up quickly.

That is why I am saying that your University is already spending the money.The thing is, no one is tracking it.

It's happening…and you could be getting out in front of it.Still reading? I’m looking forward to getting to know you and your teams better. You are the exact people I am looking forward to connecting with. You are the game-changers. The leaders.Any speaker can show up once, say something clever, and “Drop The Mic” as they walk out the door. And once they do, it’ll rev up your engines for a few days…maybe even a week!It takes a whole other kind of person, commitment, and vision…to develop a relationship with their audience. That happens over time, so that the impact is measured in sustainable life-change over years.That’s the difference between hiring any speaker, and working with me.

I don’t speak at you, I work with you.Not short bursts of energy that fade.Long-term momentum and sustainable progress.

Here's a testimonial you'll love from one of your colleagues in collegiate athletics:"Brett was excellent! We are in the process of rebuilding our program and his help has been priceless. He is an ALL-IN type of person and that's what we needed."

-Kwame OduroHead Men's Soccer CoachSt. Bonaventure University Most of you are about a month out from your pre-season for 2016-2017.If you would like to talk, I'd love to have the conversation.No strings attached.One phone call.If there is a fit from there, we can talk specifics about how this will work with your University. If not, we've made a new friend. That's cool, too.

I was working in my office today, and needed to erase the whiteboard you see in the picture above. I busted out the windex and paper towels to take care of what I thought would be a 2 minute project. Except it took longer. Much, much longer. I needed a scrubby-pad-thingy-what's it, too. And elbow grease. The quantity of which may have just given me tendonitis. Great, there goes my professional tennis career.

Mid-cleaning it hit me.

I had written the notes that were on the board a while ago. It was an important section of a book I am currently writing. I left it up, because I knew I would be referring to it a lot. And when my elbow began to feel like it was going to explode I realized something.

Consistent messages are hard to ignore.

That made me think of high school and college students. Specifically, our responsibility to speak life into them on a regular, consistent basis.

The words we use impact how they see themselves.The actions they take based on those words multiply those results. Either for good, or...well, not so good.

We need to be intentional about the words we are pouring into the next generation.

The ones they think about themselves. The ones they use to describe themselves. The ones that act as a mental GPS to the actions they take.

And that's on us.

Just like the words on my whiteboard were not easily erased, neither are the ones we speak into the next generation. My whiteboard had encouraging words. But think about the many, many times that the emotional whiteboard of a young adult is getting filled with negative words. And then our first reaction is to blame them for acting on the only teaching they've ever known...negativity.

Millennials are listening.

And every time we lob the softball of "they are just an entitled generation", we highlight our unwillingness to be part of the solution. Actually, we also do a fantastic job of contributing to the problem.

Be willing to spend the time scrubbing the emotional whiteboard of a Millennial clean, so that you can fill it back up with encouragement.

Unleash their potential, by bringing words of wisdom that are intentional.

Teach them the power of words.Teach them how to leverage the momentum that comes from understanding WHO they are, and WHY they exist. Teach them to rely on values, so that WHAT they believe comes alive in HOW they act.

Every mind is like a whiteboard.Fill it with great content.Words are hard to remove, so make sure they are worth the time you are taking to say them.

Every word matters.

And one last thing...

The consistency of your delivery will either be part of the solution, or part of the problem.

We also have to be intentional about our commitment over time. Just because we said it once, doesn't mean our job is done.

There will always be a competing message for limited space in the minds that we are teaching.

Keep writing words of encouragement, life, challenge, love, hope, etc...on the hearts of the next generation.

That way when someone tries to fill it with the opposite, they will see the value in not listening to it.

Well, I have to run.I have a whiteboard to fill with more notes.Positive, life-giving, inspiring notes.For the next generation.

"A soft area of land that gives way underfoot.""An awkward, complex, or hazardous situation."

And for many college freshman, that is exactly what it feels like to walk on to campus for the second time.

I'm not talking about the first time. You know...the one when you tour the campus, seeing the best of everything. When you get what J-Lo calls "the goosies". When you seal the deal that this will be your University with the rite of passage that has happened for decades. You buy the sweatshirt from the bookstore, and wear it all over your hometown.

Everything is full of hope and excitement on the first visit. But when it comes time to wave to your parents from the curb as they become smaller, disappearing into the distance that is your former existence...something shifts.

Don't get me wrong. You are still excited. Come on, man. You've just reached the pinnacle of freedom.

Where do you start?

So much freedom, so much time.

Until there isn't.

Yeah...it happens the moment the first syllabus drops in front of you, with the weight of an anvil. It's multiplied a few times over...from class, to class, to class.

All of a sudden free time looks like one of those freezer bags that gets any quantifiable amount of air left sucked out of it by a vacuum-looking device.

Welcome to college.

If you arrive at this point still unsure of "WHAT" you want to be when you grow up, "WHAT" your major should be, "WHAT" classes you should take...it can be a lot like knowing you are hungry, but afraid to take a bite. Why? Because you know you are allergic to some of it...you just don't know what part of it.

Silly analogy? Maybe.Effective? Absolutely.

Wouldn't it be nice to know what you were allergic to, before you consumed it?

I think there are 2 Quagmire-like times in a college freshman's life.

First steps and next steps.Arriving and deciding.

How do you recapture the "sweatshirt-from-the-bookstore" feeling, when you are staring at the "what-the-heck-do-I-do-now" reality?

Take a step back.Rewind.Think about WHO you are and WHY you exist. Think about the very thing that drives you. Think about what you love to day-dream about.

Start to think about what you believe in. The non-negotiable values that steer you. The ones, that at the end of the day, will keep you on track, on time, and on point...amidst the attractive distractions (and they will come) that flood the world of every college freshman.

Think about it this way...

When you know WHO you are, you will know WHAT to do. You exist to do something of significance, based on who YOU are.

This may sound fancy and idealistic. Maybe it is. But from my personal experience, having lived it...and failed out...and hearing from current day college students...this matters.

And at the risk of losing you altogether, I have some homework for you.

Write down the problem that bothers you the most in the world today. Now write down next to it, what you are uniquely equipped to bring to it. (Not what degree you think you need, or major you think you need to declare) Be specific.

Write down the problem.Write down where you would LOVE to participate in building the solution.

Once you get to the place where you begin to see the end, you will know where to start.

Once you start to see how you are built, you will know what you can bring to the table.

Once you know WHO you are, you will know WHAT to do.

That'll turn your Quagmires into Questions. Questions are a good thing. They lead to solutions.

No more loose footing and awkward unknowns.

Your first steps become confident next steps.Your arrival is no longer about just survival.

When you help them discover their vision,they will want to follow direction.

Systems & structures aren't the enemy of the Millennial generation.

Helping them understand why they exist, and how their talents fit into this world?

That's the secret sauce.

Because when they know WHO they are, they will know WHAT to do.

Or we can keep beating the drum saying everything we've been saying, changing nothing, risking even less...and expecting a completely different outcome. (AKA...rolling the dice)

I believe that's pretty close to the definition of insanity.

These 141 testimonials represent the hope that comes when we go first, change our approach, and risk more...all in the name of a generation that needs us to fight for them, not with them. (AKA...solving the problem)

I failed out of college. In the spring of 1994 I received a letter telling me, due to my academic standing, I had failed out of the University I was attending. But I ﻿knew it was coming long before it arrived. Within a few short weeks of stepping onto campus as a freshman in the Fall of 1993, this ball of yarn was already starting to unravel.

I felt like a failure. I suppose that isn't much of a story, in and of itself. Others have been where I was, and others will be in the future. So, why am I sharing this? Because others don't have to. Because I have made it my life's work to not "waste my pain". 1993-1994 was a painful year for me. And unless you've been there or are now, it is really hard to understand the feeling of isolation and desperation that accompanies it. I didn't know WHO I was, and was desperately trying to. I knew who everyone else thought I was. I knew who everyone else wanted me to be. (Parents, Teachers, Coaches, Faculty, Administration, Friends, etc…) Which, in my mind, translated to what I was supposed to be. The problem was, it wasn't me. It was someone else's version of me. I couldn't articulate that thought then like I can now. 20 plus years of reflection can offer clarity like that. So now I spend my time working with high school and college students who are where I was. I work with them, so that they don't have to go through what I did. They are standing in the midst of real struggle. Emotional. Relational. Educational…struggle. All of it, and more. As a college freshman, it didn't take long for me to connect with a group of people who were willing to let me be me…or so I thought. Did they have my best interests at heart? No. Looking back, did they really know me at all? No. Then why was I so attracted to being around them, and neglecting my academics? Because they offered me something I wanted. A relationship. Come here. Do this. Be part of "us". Do your thing. We value you, because of who you are. No conditions. No strings attached. (except there were) We'll "do life" together. Eat together. Play intramurals together. Road trip together. Everything…together. Until it gets hard. Then they were gone. I so desperately wanted something that made sense as I struggled, that I took my eyes off of my future. Let me be clear. It wasn't their fault. I can't and won't pass the blame. But my experience was real. I knew I didn't want to be all the things everyone else wanted me to be. I knew I was confused. I knew I had no clue what major I should choose. And I knew the distraction of being pursued by a group of people was giving me what I thought I needed. But it wasn't. And the day I received "the letter", that became painfully clear. None. Not one…single…person from that group has ever reached out to me after I left the University. Let that sink in. It was one of the most isolating feelings I had and have ever experienced. The good news? This isn't where the story ended. Actually, it's where it started. And it's why I am writing to you today. My story of struggle in college was over 20 years ago. But for many college students…their story is happening right now. And the feelings of isolation, confusion, desperation, etc…? They are real. They are the same. You may know someone going through them as we speak. Your friend. Your child. You. I want to invite you to keep reading as I share more of my story. You aren't alone. And before you leave, please take this encouragement with you. (Share it with someone if this isn't you) You are uniquely gifted. You are talented. The world needs every, single ounce of who you are and the change only you can bring to us. You are creative, smart, and compassionate. I look forward to sharing with you on this journey. I will share my story, so that you feel empowered in yours. You will make it. You will bounce back, comeback, and use this setback as THE moment you launched yourself forward. I believe in you, and so do many, many others. Thanks for stopping by today. I look forward to hearing your story, too. I've held onto this story for a long time. I've told it in bits and pieces, but never in it's entirety... …until today. I failed out of college. It still hurts to write those words, and worse yet to read them back to myself. But the hurt isn't a "feel sorry for me" hurt. It's a "I'm doing something about it" hurt. In the lives of those who need the advice, mentorship, and direction that can only come from the voice of someone who's been there. Spoiler alert…

﻿I ﻿ended up graduating Cum Laude from another 4 year University. The journey in between, and since, has taught me everything I will share with you. And I'm doing it, so that you can make it. Because... When you know WHO you are, you will know WHAT to do.

And one more thing...

You aren't a failure.Maybe some of your choices are making you feel that way.But...that word doesn't define WHO you are.That word is simply a reminder that there is work to be done.Work that you can do, so that you make it to where you want and need to go.

Failure isn't a permanent place.It's a reminder that it's time to get to work.

So let's do the work.

Keep coming back to this blog for starters. Just read.Take in some encouragement.Start there.One step at a time.

We'll talk more soon.

I've got a lot of stories from my journey I am going to share with you. Until then... -Brett

If you have ever tried to recruit anyone to anything, that word makes you cringe.

In four simple words, this is what it means.Over-promise, under-deliver.

However...

Attrition is frustration that could be avoided.

Think buffet vs. steakhouse.

Buffet...

"Eyes too big for your stomach" is how most recruiting works. We pile on the plate, and toss out what we don't want later. Lots of waste involved in that process. Everything looks great at first, and then slowly we lose our appetite for it. Quantity rules the day, and waste is considered a necessary evil.

Steakhouse...

Be specific, clear, and say no to most options so that you can get the best fit for you. Be patient...it takes longer to prepare a better product. Time, seasoning, careful attention to detail. Quality is what we are after. Quality food. Quality fit for our taste buds. Waste is considered insane. It's too good to leave anything on the plate.

When we recruit like a buffet we end up losing people because "they can't cut it". The real truth? ﻿Them not cutting it later says more about the recruitment process than it does about the person leaving﻿. When we recruit like a steakhouse we end up building an amazing culture that attracts the very best. The right fit means the best experience.

So the million dollar question...

HOW DO WE FIX IT?

Here are 5 things to get us thinking about how to fix the process, and recruit like a steakhouse.

1. Culture - Is there one where you are? If you don't have a clearly articulated vision and core set of values that EVERY SINGLE DECISION is based on, you don't. A culture is a group of people with a common set of beliefs, expressed through a common language. BOTH. Not one part. BOTH. And if you do have a culture now...who buys in? Who doesn't? Separating those two camps will tell you what your organization has to build on, and what it needs to politely excuse itself from. (P.S. That's not a bad thing. Holding on to staff that doesn't buy in not only hurts your progress, it robs them of the opportunity to link up with a team somewhere that they are sold out to. Life's too short. Help them find their team...and yes, that means some will have to be let go from yours).

2. Themes - Look at both ends of the spectrum. Those that are clicking on all cylinders within your team. What drew them to you? What drew you to them? Those that are constantly in a state of friction within your team. What changed for them since they started with you? How have you changed since they came on board? Find the themes...and you start to find a path to repeat. One for people who love who you are and why you exist and want to sell out to your vision. One to be able to refer people away from your team as early as possible. It's important for you, so that your team stays on point. And it's equally important for them, so that they can keep moving to find the team they were called to join.

3. Scarcity - If you aren't willing to be exclusive, you are leaving value on the table. And let me be VERY clear about this. This is not being exclusive at the cost of inclusive. It's a "both-and" posture. Very simply put...you need to be exclusive first, so that you can be inclusive later. If you let every person join your team...regardless of their vision, you'll have a massive disaster in short order. If you are diligent about selecting those that believe what you believe, care about what breaks your heart, and are willing to go all in for your values...the conversations later can be 100% inclusive of every person's opinion in the room. Why? Because you will have already separated personal opinion and preference from the process. Why is that important? Because the vision leads, and every idea tossed on the table goes through that filter. Without that filter, you have a mess on your hands. Think back to the buffet example at the beginning. Lots of waste. Translated to what you do? Waste of time, energy, and resources. And bluntly...A TON OF MONEY! According to the people at SHRM (really, super-smart HR professionals)...It costs about $3,500 per year to recruit, hire, train and retain an $8.00 per hour wage employee. And those numbers are from 2006! So that figure has to be conservative. Still don't think it's important to get it right up front?

4. Invites - Start life earlier in the process with your potential new recruits, and you do a few things really well. You start to develop a relationship with those you want on your team. You honor the time of those who won't ever be a fit on your team. And the third reason is HUGE. You begin to create a culture of brand ambassadors that will cast your vision as well. It's like having a seas of sales reps on the road. You won't be the only ones telling your story. It will reach more. When it reaches more, the quality goes up. More people fight for the top spots. It gets harder to get in. It becomes a little more exclusive. And when you reach that tipping point? You'll have a dream team that is explosive for all the right reasons. Momentum and progress unlike anything you've ever seen.

5. Net Casting - This will allow you to go further than ever before, differently than ever before. Think digital. Virtual. Instead of waiting to get a sense of who someone is when they meet you in person, you'll have already begun to develop a relationship from a distance. That allows a free-agent to sign on the dotted line on a first visit. It implores a college student to make their deposit on the day they meet you in person, on your campus. You won't lose that rock-star employee to your competition, because their first in person visit with your team confirms they are "home". Skype, text, email, and video vs. job and career fairs, table set up in HS hallways with free pens (because that's unique), etc... When you cast your net(s) intentionally where the fish you want are you stop dropping a net for sheer volume not knowing what fish are even there.

Those 5 things start the conversation. The one thing that weaves them all together is the secret sauce that makes the meal undeniably created by you and your team.

STORY.

Culture. Themes. Scarcity. Invites. New Casting.

Learn from those 5, and let them inform your story-telling process.

Every great book, movie and experience is re-told for one reason...

STORY.

I hope this has jump-started some brain-storming juices for your team. If you are stuck, don't be a stranger. I'd love to hear from you. I'd be honored to work with you. It's why I do what I do. Your recruitment is a reflection of your commitment. I know your heart is in the right place. Sometimes it's just hard to get the story to match. I'd love to help.

I exist to help other people discover WHO they are, so that they will know WHAT to do.

And I'd love to help you articulate your story, so you can dominate your space.

Let's have one last look at the pictures we started with...

Is there really any doubt which experience you want your recruiting, hiring, training and retention process to resemble?

The "attrition special" on the left is cheaper. But something tells me the cost of the "choice culture cut" on the right is worth every penny you'll invest in the process.